Microsoft Insights is a combination of events and resources that provides guidance for those seeking to advance their skills or launch their career in technology. The first event took place on October 29, 2013. Watch the recorded panel discussions and interviews below!

and how you can capitalize on these new opportunities.

Join us live on October 29 for a chance to win a certification exam pack. Official rules

Are you an IT Professional, Developer, student, job seeker, recruiter or hiring manager?

Do you find yourself asking these questions?

What skills are required to succeed in technology roles today and in the future?

Where do I find the training and resources to gain the skills I need?

What is the earning and growth potential for my chosen technology career path?

Is technical certification the right choice for me?

Missed the event on October 29 or want to review that great information again?

Now available on-demand: Industry panel discussion on technology employment and earning trends, and four interviews with technologists about the most sought-after skillsets and credentials now.

Insights 2013 Event

Microsoft Insights Virtual Event

On October 29, Microsoft hosted the Microsoft Insights online event, featuring a panel of industry and academic experts discussing strategies to move ahead in the field of technology. During the discussion, the panel addressed such issues as:

What skills are required to succeed in technology roles today and in the future?

Is certification the right choice for you?

How much can you expect to make along your chosen career path?

What training and resources are available to gain the skills you’ll need?

Senior executives from Payscale and Global Knowledge, and leading educators shared their perspectives on technology employment trends—and how you can capitalize on the new opportunities they create. The event also featured in-depth follow-up interviews with different disciplines within technology, where you can hear first-hand the details on what you need to know and what actions to take to get your career moving ahead.

In-depth Interview: Aspiring Technologists

Is formal education a requirement for a successful career in technology? Hear about alternative approaches others have followed to develop the skills they needed to prepare for a role in technology. Bill Symonds of the Pathways Institute shares the findings of his recent Harvard Graduate School study and upcoming book, and discusses how a targeted and focused approach to skill development can help you land a rewarding job and improve your long-term employment prospects.

In-depth Interview: IT Academy

With the Microsoft IT Academy (ITA), institutions get digital curriculum and certifications on fundamental technology skills, as well as courses critical for students to be successful in today’s technologically evolving world—all at significantly reduced pricing for academic institutions and their educators, students and staff. Hear from Maureen Majury of the Center of Excellence for Information and Computing Technology at Bellevue College on how she has used ITA to augment her technical education program.

In-depth Interview: Developers

When it comes to getting that next great job or project, developers must live by a different set of rules. Learn about the skills you’ll need and how to position yourself ahead of the pack in this live interview with Jeremy Foster of Microsoft and Chris Gardner of T&W Operations.

In-depth Interview: IT Professionals

The employment landscape for IT professionals is changing, and in response Microsoft is changing our approach to training and certification. Learn how we’ve modified our approach to technology professional training, what’s changed in our certification portfolio, and where you can go to sharpen your skills. Join Shelby Grieve of Microsoft and Ben Watson of Global Knowledge as they cover these topics and more in a live online discussion.

Microsoft Insights Virtual Event

In-depth Interview: Developers

In-depth Interview: IT Professionals

In-depth Interview: Aspiring Technologists

In-depth Interview: IT Academy

Meet the panelists

Hear from these experts on trends in technology hiring, what you need to do to prepare yourself for the skills required to succeed, and what you can expect to earn in various career paths and geographies.

Barnaby Dorfman

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Products, PayScale.com.

Barnaby Dorfman, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Products, PayScale.com. Barnaby has been an entrepreneur and executive in the consumer Internet space for over a 15 years. After Amazon.com acquired Bibliofind.com in 1999, where he was general manager, Barnaby led a team to develop new product categories in the Amazon Marketplace. During his 7 years at Amazon, key roles included vice president of search technology, and director at the Internet Movie Database, where he created IMDbPro.com. Prior to his current role at PayScale, Barnaby was founder and CEO of Foodista.com a food news and cooking website.

Shravan Goli

President at DICE

Shravan Goli has been the President of Dice since joining the company in March 2013. An internet and media veteran, Mr. Goli is responsible for executing the growth strategy for Dice.com, ClearanceJobs and the Slashdot Media brands. Before joining our company, Mr. Goli served as Chief Executive Officer of Dictionary.com which he joined in late 2009 as President, where he sparked impressive growth through product innovation, increasing engagement and uncovering additional revenue opportunities. Earlier in his career, Mr. Goli was at Microsoft from 1995 to 2005, where he started out as an early member of the MSN.com team and led the launch of several MSN services and subsequently held roles of increasing responsibility in the home and entertainment division and the business solutions group. Mr. Goli holds an M.B.A. from the University of Washington and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland.

Eddie Yandle

Sr. Director, Microsoft Corporation

Eddie is currently the Senior Marketing Director for Microsoft Learning. He has worked at Microsoft since 1997, in various roles with the Small & Mid-Market Solutions & Partners organization. Prior to Microsoft, Eddie worked in journalism for 15 years as a reporter and technology editor.

Maureen Majury

Director of theCenter of Excellence for Computing and Information Computing Technology (CoE for ICT) at Bellevue College

Maureen Majury is Director for the Center of Excellence for Information and Computing Technology (CoE for ICT) hosted at Bellevue College. She directs the annual Center events, including the STEM Summit, Careers in IT: The Real Story, and the IT Futures Summit at Microsoft. Other Center activities include community and technical college program (degree/certificate) reviews, website development and management, research on workforce demand and new and emerging technology trends, oversight of the industry advisory board, and consulting. Maureen received her M.Ed. from the University of Washington. She has worked at Bellevue College from 1992 until present.

Bill Symonds

Chief Financial Officer at Colman Ideas

Bill Symonds is an internationally-recognized education reformer, speaker and author. He helped launch the Pathways to Prosperity Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2008, and served as its director through June, 2013. He is now working to create a Pathways Institute to help lead a national movement aimed at preparing all young Americans to lead successful lives. Symonds helped create the Pathways Project while he was a senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 2007-8. Prior to that, he spent nearly 25 years as a senior correspondent and bureau chief for Business Week Magazine. During his career at Business Week, he led bureaus in Pittsburgh, Denver and Boston, and also spent nearly a decade abroad, in both Italy and Canada. He also served as Business Week’s chief education correspondent for many years, and wrote extensively about the role of U.S. business in school reform. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Oxford University, England.

Ben Watson, Senior Director, Product Management and Partner Programs, Global Knowledge. Ben has been an entrepreneur, and an intrapreneur inside global companies, in the education space for over 18 years. After Skillsoft acquired scholars.com in 1998, where he was founder and CEO, Ben continued to grow their 24x7 mentoring business which remains active today. After leaving Skillsoft he started Ensemble Collaboration and later joined Thomson NETg where he managed their live online learning business. Prior to joining Global Knowledge, Ben led multiple teams at Microsoft Learning including certification, training products, Microsoft Press and digital marketing. LinkedIn / Twitter: @BenWatson.